


What fuels the embers

by stereden



Category: One Piece
Genre: Anger, Character Study, Family, Gen, Nature Versus Nurture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:14:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25432951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stereden/pseuds/stereden
Summary: This is how Ace gets angry.(Like Dadan.)(Like Sabo.)(Like Roger.)(Like his mother)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 231





	What fuels the embers

**Author's Note:**

  * For [bridg the squid (mydetheturk)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mydetheturk/gifts).



> Because the discord made me swing the angst bat at myself tonight and I ended up writing this in like, ten minutes xD I'm blaming Bridg for this - you know what you did :p
> 
> Little character vignette focusing on Ace and his anger, and traits he got from his family, both blood related and not.

Ace knows anger, knows it very well. It always there, boiling right under his skin, ready to burst at the slightest provocation.

(So much anger, in such a young boy, so much anger that it threatens to  _ drown _ him sometimes-)

Luffy helps, soothes it just as much as he makes it explode sometimes ~~when he puts himself at risk when he gets eaten by a crocodile when he gets~~ ~~_ hurt _ and Ace couldn't do  _ anything- _ ~~

(This is how Ace gets angry: loud shouts and louder swears, tight hands around Luffy's arms that are probably going to bruise but allow him to convince himself that his brother is  _ alive _ and huffed proclamation that of course he  _ wasn't _ worried, not at all, why would he give a damn?)

(This is how Ace gets angry: just like  _ Dadan. _ )

Sabo ~~helps~~ _ helped _ , gave him someone to bounce that anger off, knew how to direct that anger towards a better target, to focus it into something  _ productive _ , but Sabo is  _ gone _ and Ace is  _ angry _ , all the time, and he's left Dawn, doesn't have Luffy to calm him down anymore, and he's  _ good _ at hiding it, he has to be, but... It's hard.

(This is how Ace gets angry: flowery words hiding subtle insults, sharp tongue and sharper sarcasm, a raid on a noble's house and airing their dirty laundry for the world to see - literally sometimes.)

(This is how Ace gets angry: just like  _ Sabo _ .)

It gets better, though, step by step, island by island, with every crewmember that he collects. They're  _ his _ and he's  _ theirs _ and it  _ helps _ , soothes his anger in a different way than Luffy does.

(This is how Ace gets angry: standing between  _ his people _ and those who want to harm them, burning an entire Marine base to the ground because they  _ hurt his first mate, _ face set in stone and Haki rolling out of him on waves.)

(This is how Ace gets angry: just like  _ Roger. _ )

That doesn't mean the anger is  _ gone _ , though. It's still there, ready to burst out, but Ace can control it better, now, can channel it in a way that doesn't threaten to drown him at every turn.

(This is how Ace gets angry: a small, predatory smile on his face. A shitton of blackmail material on its way to the closest newspaper office and revolution contact. A dozen of skeleton keys opening exploding collars and then locking them on the slavers' necks. A satisfied look in his eyes as he presses the detonator.)

(This is how Ace gets angry: just like  _ his mother.) _

**Author's Note:**

> A bit different from my usual style, but I'm really happy with this! Let me know what you thought if it !
> 
> And feel free to join [my Discord](https://discord.gg/xreVUA2) and throw more ideas at me (or yell at me for giving you feels xD)!


End file.
